Building integrated thermal electric hybrid roofing system

ABSTRACT

A building integrated thermal electric hybrid roofing system is disclosed. The system comprises a plurality of metal battens having a longitudinal channel mounted horizontally onto a plurality of wooden battens, a thermal tubing containing liquid mounted on the longitudinal channels, a plurality of solar electric roof tiles mounted on the plurality of metal battens and connected in series to form a string, an inverter connected to each of the strings, a heat exchanger connected to the thermal tubing, and a pump connected between the thermal tubing and the heat exchanger. The plurality of solar electric roof tiles generates DC electricity from solar energy and the inverter converts the DC electricity to AC electricity to feed to a utility grid. The plurality of metal battens collects the solar energy and converts into thermal energy through running the liquid which is extracted to the heat exchanger resulting in producing domestic hot water.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a building integrated electric roofing system,and more particularly to a building integrated thermal electric hybridroofing system.

DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART

Global warming and its consequences are very global issues all countriesare trying to find solutions to. One important way to reduce globalwarming would be to use alternative or renewable energy, such as, solarenergy which is environment friendly and cost effective in the long runthan the conventional methods. A properly sized and installed solarthermal energy collection system can be a practical alternative foracquiring some of the energy needs.

Solar panels are used to generate electricity by converting sun's energyinto electricity. These solar panels comprise of photovoltaic cellsarranged on a flat grid. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,990,414 issued toPosnansky on Nov. 23, 1999 discloses a photovoltaic solar roofconsisting of roofing elements made of fiber cement upon which solarcells are mounted. Though the photovoltaic solar roof can be laid by aroofer with no electrotechnical expertise, the conversion rate goes downwhen the ambient temperature on the roof goes 85 degree Fahrenheit orabove. Some other examples include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,437,735, 5,232,518,and 6,065,255 and U.S. Patent Application. No. 20070157963 which show aphotovoltaic solar roof tile assembly system. These prior art patentscould only manage to install 3 to 4 kw systems on the roof.

The sun's energy can be collected in a variety of different ways. One isconverting sun's energy into thermal energy to heat things, such aswater. U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,247 issued to Moore on Apr. 19, 1988 providesroof installations consisting of an array of interfitting members e.g.tiles, strips, slats or the like which interfit to form a roof coveringand a set of heat pipes which run parallel to the plane of the roof.Heat is abstracted from the heat pipes and used directly or indirectly,e.g. via a heat pump apparatus. U.S. Patent Application. No. 20080141999entitled to Hanken on Jun. 19, 2008 provides a solar heating system formounting under a roof that includes a panel formed of a sheet materialand at least one run of tubing held beneath the panel by a plurality oftubing fasteners. The panel assembly facilitates transfer of the trappedheat from the roof and surrounding air into the fluid circulatingthrough the tubing. Such arrangements will not generate sufficientenergy to be self sustaining due to less conversion rate and these arenot aesthetically pleasing.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,363 issued to Peacock on Nov. 9, 1993 teaches asolar roofing panel system for use in residential and commercialbuildings employing conventional metal roofing components. The systemcollects and supplies thermal energy from the sun to heat the interiorthereof and also is capable of providing solar generated electricity forpowering the normal complement of household appliances. However thesystem produces thermal and electrical energy, both thermal energy andelectrical energy are not produced simultaneously to work in conjunctionas well as compensate with each other.

Therefore, there is a need for a thermal electric hybrid roofing systemthat eliminates the problem of degradation of conversion rate when theambient temperature on the roof goes beyond 85 degree Fahrenheit.Further, such a device would effectively utilize the sun's energy, wouldbe self sustaining, aesthetically pleasing, and economical. Such aneeded device would simultaneously generate thermal energy andelectricity and manage to install more than 4 kw systems on the roof.The present invention accomplishes these objectives.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a building integrated thermal electric hybridroofing system that comprises a plurality of metal battens mountedhorizontally onto a plurality of wooden battens that is mountedvertically across a roof. Each of the plurality of metal battensincludes a longitudinal channel that extends in a longitudinaldirection. A thermal tubing containing liquid is mounted on theplurality of metal battens. The thermal tubing extends on thelongitudinal channels of each of the plurality of metal battens. Aplurality of solar electric roof tiles is further included that ismounted on the plurality of metal battens. The plurality of solar rooftiles is a building integrated photovoltaic roof tile with a solarmodule glued to an eternit tile. Each of the plurality of solar electricroof tiles is connected in series and each of the series connectionsforms a string. The present invention further comprises an inverterconnected to each of the strings, a heat exchanger connected to thethermal tubing, and a pump connected between the thermal tubing and theheat exchanger for circulating the liquid running through the thermaltubing. The thermal tubing in the present invention may be PEX, brass,copper, or aluminum tubing and liquid running through the thermal tubingmay be water or glycol.

The plurality of solar roof tiles generates DC electricity as the solarenergy hits a surface of the plurality of solar roof tiles. The inverterconverts the DC electricity to AC electricity and feeds to a utilitygrid. The plurality of metal battens collects the solar energy andconverts into thermal energy through running liquid in the thermaltubing throughout the roof. The thermal energy is extracted down to theheat exchanger resulting in heating up the domestic water supply andproviding domestic hot water. As the thermal energy is extracted to theheat exchanger, the plurality of solar electric roof tiles is cooledthereby making the plurality of solar electric roof tiles operate athigh efficiency in converting the solar energy to DC electricity. In thepreferred embodiment, a thermal system and an electric system operatesimultaneously to generate domestic hot water and electricityrespectively.

Each of the plurality of solar roof tiles is mounted on the plurality ofmetal battens using a storm anchor hook which is hammered into a holeprovided in each of the plurality of metal battens. The metal battenalone holds the thermal tubing and the plurality of solar electric rooftiles.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a layout of a building integrated thermal electric hybridroofing system in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of the building integrated thermal electrichybrid roofing system installed on a house;

FIG. 3 is a layout of a metal batten of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the building integrated thermal electrichybrid roofing system in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart for a method of mounting the building integratedthermal electric hybrid roofing system;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a thermal system on a large roof providedwith another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a thermal system on a large roof withmultiple roof plains provided with another embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 shows a layout of a building integrated thermal electric hybridroofing system 10 that comprises a plurality of metal battens 12 mountedhorizontally onto a plurality of wooden battens 14 that is mountedvertically across a roof (not shown). Each of the plurality of metalbattens 12 includes a longitudinal channel 16 that extends in alongitudinal direction. A thermal tubing 18 containing liquid is mountedon the plurality of metal battens 12. The thermal tubing 18 extends onthe longitudinal channels 16 of each of the plurality of metal battens12. A plurality of solar electric roof tiles 20 is further included thatis mounted on the plurality of metal battens 12. The plurality of solarroof tiles 20 is a building integrated photovoltaic roof tile with asolar module 22 glued to an eternit tile 24. Each of the plurality ofsolar electric roof tiles 20 is connected in series and each of theseries connections forms a string 26. The number of solar electric rooftiles 20 in the series connection may vary according to the design. Asthe roof dimensions may vary according to roof design, a starter section28 is provided that adjusts the string 26 of the plurality solarelectric roof tiles 20 accordingly.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of the building integrated thermal electrichybrid roofing system installed on a house 30. In the present invention,a thermal system and an electric system work in conjunction as well ascompensate with each other. As shown, the present invention furthercomprises an inverter 32 connected to each of the strings 26, a heatexchanger 34 connected to the thermal tubing 18, and a pump 36 connectedbetween the thermal tubing 18 and the heat exchanger 34 for circulatingthe liquid running through the thermal tubing 18. The thermal tubing 18in the present invention may be PEX, brass, copper, or aluminum tubingand liquid running through the thermal tubing 18 may be water or glycol.Each string 26 can be connected to the inverter 32 or numerous stringscan be connected in parallel to the inverter 32 in another embodiment ofthe invention.

The plurality of solar roof tiles 20 generates DC electricity as thesolar energy hits a surface of the plurality of solar roof tiles 38. Theinverter 32 converts the DC electricity to AC electricity and feeds to autility grid 40. With the present invention, it is possible to installupto 7 kw systems on the roof (not shown). The plurality of metalbattens 12 collects the solar energy and converts into thermal energythrough running the liquid in the thermal tubing 18 throughout the roof(not shown). The thermal energy is extracted down to the heat exchanger34 resulting in heating up the domestic water supply and providingdomestic hot water. As the thermal energy is extracted to the heatexchanger 34, the plurality of solar electric roof tiles 20 is cooledthereby making the plurality of solar electric roof tiles 20 operate athigh efficiency in converting the solar energy to DC electricity. Thusthe thermal system of the present invention eliminates the problem ofdegradation of conversion rate of solar energy to electric energy whenthe ambient temperature on the roof (not shown) goes beyond 85 degreeFahrenheit. Moreover, as the building integrated thermal electric hybridroofing system 10 captures more solar energy, the system 10 has muchhigh energy conversion rate thereby reducing HVAC power consumption. Inthe preferred embodiment, the thermal system and the electric systemoperate simultaneously to generate domestic hot water and electricityrespectively. With the present system, the roof (not shown) becomesaesthetically attractive as the thermal part is not exposed to theexterior.

FIG. 3 shows a layout of the metal batten 12 utilized in the presentinvention. Each of the plurality of solar roof tiles 20 is mounted onthe plurality of metal battens 12 using a storm anchor hook 42 which ishammered into a hole (not shown) provided in each of the plurality ofmetal battens 12. The storm anchor hook 42 is designed in such a waythat the plurality of solar roof tiles 20 overlaps each other. Aplurality of holes (not shown) are drilled in advance on each of theplurality of metal battens 12 according to specified positions whichsaves time and also simplifies the installation procedures. Thespecified positions are based on the size of the plurality of solarelectric roof tiles 20. The metal batten 12 alone holds the thermaltubing 18 and the plurality of solar electric roof tiles 20.

The spacing between the plurality of metal battens 12 can be variedsubject to the size of the plurality of solar electric roof tiles 20 andthe required thermal specification. As the plurality of metal battens 12are more tightly spaced, more thermal tubing 18 can be installed toachieve high thermo energy conversion efficiency. The main applicationsof the building integrated thermal electric hybrid roofing system 10would be on both commercial and domestic slope roofs. However, thesystem could also be applied on curtain walls or facades on buildings.Yet another embodiment of the invention provides a stand alone systemwhere the electric system alone can charge a plurality of batteries (notshown) by configuring the plurality of solar electric roof tiles 20 at12, 24, and 48 volt strings.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the building integrated thermal electrichybrid roofing system. As the solar energy hits a surface of theplurality of solar roof tiles, the plurality of solar roof tilesgenerates DC electricity as indicated at block 44. The inverter convertsthe DC electricity to AC electricity as indicated at block 46 and feedsto a utility grid as indicated at block 48. The plurality of metalbattens converts the solar energy into thermal energy thereby heating upthe thermal tubing as indicated at block 48. The thermal tubing extractsthe thermal energy down to the heat exchanger resulting in heating upthe domestic water supply as indicated at block 50 thereby resulting inproviding domestic hot water as indicated at block 52. The pumpconnected between the thermal tubing and the heat exchanger circulatesthe liquid through the thermal tubing as indicated at block 54. Inaddition, a separate photovoltaic module as indicated at block 56 andcold water supply as indicated at block 58 can be attached to the pumpfor an independent working of the thermal system in case there aretechnical problems in the electric system which could prevent thethermal system from operating. Another advantage of using a separatephotovoltaic module as indicated at block 56 is that the liquid flowingthrough the thermal tubing could vary according to the intensity of thesolar energy which results in extracting more heat. If more heat isextracted from the roof, the attic cools off thereby generating moredomestic hot water and cooling off the plurality of solar electric rooftiles and reduces the air conditioning load.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart for a method of mounting a building integratedthermal electric hybrid roofing system. As shown in step 62 a pluralityof metal battens are mounted horizontally onto a plurality of woodenbattens. A thermal tubing is mounted on the longitudinal channelsprovided in each of the plurality of metal battens as shown in step 64.A plurality of solar electric roof tiles is mounted on the plurality ofmetal battens using a storm anchor hook as shown in step 66. Each of theplurality of solar electric roof tiles is connected in series and eachof the series connections forms a string as shown in step 68. As shownin step 70, an inverter is connected to each of the strings. As shown instep 72, a heat exchanger is connected to the thermal tubing. A pump isconnected between the thermal tubing and the heat exchanger as shown instep 74.

Referring to FIG. 6, another embodiment of the present invention mayinclude a number of loops of the thermal tubing going through the roof.On large roofs situations, the resistance of the liquid increases as thethermal tubing gets longer which results in building up pressure onflow. A number of loops of thermal tubing going through the roofsreduces the pressure on flow. As shown in the block diagram of thethermal system on a large roof, liquid from the heat exchanger as shownin block 80 is pumped as shown in block 82 through a manifold as shownin block 84 to at least three different loops of the thermal system asshown in block 86. The liquid circulating through the loops extracts thethermal solar energy from the roof and then goes through anothermanifold as shown in block 88 to the heat exchanger as shown in block 80thereby generating the domestic hot water as shown in block 90.

Still another embodiment of the invention may include a thermal systemon a large roof with multiple roof plains shown in FIG. 7. In a largehouse with multiple roof plains, the solar energy intensity varies oneach roof plain. Since the variation of the solar energy intensityaffects the flow rate and pressure of the liquid in different roofplains, multiple thermal systems are used to accommodate multiple roofplains. The liquid from the heat exchanger as shown in block 92 ispumped as shown in block 94 through a manifold as shown in block 96 tomultiple thermal systems as shown in block 98. The liquid circulatingthrough the multiple thermal systems as shown in block 98 extracts thethermal solar energy from the roof and then goes through anothermanifold as shown in block 100 to the heat exchanger as shown in block92 thereby generating the domestic hot water as shown in block 102.

While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, it will be apparent that various modifications can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except asby the appended claims.

1. A building integrated thermal electric hybrid roofing system,comprising: a plurality of metal battens mounted horizontally onto aplurality of wooden battens that is mounted vertically across a roof,each of the plurality of metal battens includes a longitudinal channelthat extends in a longitudinal direction; a thermal tubing containingliquid mounted and extending on the longitudinal channels of each of theplurality of metal battens; a plurality of solar electric roof tilesmounted on the plurality of metal battens, each of the plurality ofsolar electric roof tiles is connected in series and each of the seriesconnections forms a string; an inverter connected to each of the stringsfor converting DC electricity fed from the plurality of solar electricroof tiles to AC electricity; a heat exchanger connected to the thermaltubing; a pump connected between the thermal tubing and the heatexchanger for circulating the liquid through the thermal tubing; and aseparate photovoltaic module and a cold water supply operativelyconnected to said pump for an independent working of the thermalsystems; and whereby the thermal tubing and the plurality of solarelectric roof tiles operate simultaneously to generate domestic hotwater and electricity respectively.
 2. The building integrated thermalelectric hybrid roofing system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of solarroof tiles is a building integrated photovoltaic roof tile with a solarmodule glued to an eternit tile.
 3. The building integrated thermalelectric hybrid roofing system of claim 1 wherein each of the pluralityof solar roof tiles is mounted on the plurality of metal batten using astorm anchor hook which is hammered into a hole provided in each of theplurality of metal batten.
 4. The building integrated thermal electrichybrid roofing system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of solar rooftiles generates DC electricity as the solar energy hits a surface of theplurality of solar roof tiles.
 5. The building integrated thermalelectric hybrid roofing system of claim 1 wherein the inverter convertsthe DC electricity to AC electricity and feeds to a utility grid.
 6. Thebuilding integrated thermal electric hybrid roofing system of claim 1wherein the plurality of metal battens collects the solar energy andconverts into thermal energy through running the liquid in the thermaltubing throughout the roof.
 7. The building integrated thermal electrichybrid roofing system of claim 6 wherein the thermal energy is extractedto the heat exchanger resulting in heating up the domestic water supplyand providing domestic hot water.
 8. The building integrated thermalelectric hybrid roofing system of claim 7 wherein as the thermal energyis extracted to the heat exchanger, the plurality of solar electric rooftiles is cooled thereby making the plurality of solar electric rooftiles operate at high efficiency in converting the solar energy to DCelectricity.
 9. A method of mounting a building integrated thermalelectric hybrid roofing system, comprising: a. mounting a plurality ofmetal battens horizontally onto a plurality of wooden battens that ismounted vertically across a roof, each of the plurality of metal battensincludes a longitudinal channel that extends in a longitudinaldirection; b. mounting a thermal tubing containing liquid on thelongitudinal channels of each of the plurality of metal battens; c.mounting a plurality of solar electric roof tiles on the plurality ofmetal battens using a storm anchor hook which is hammered into a holeprovided in each of the plurality of metal battens; d. connecting eachof the plurality of solar electric roof tiles in series and each of theseries connections forming a string; e. connecting an inverter to eachof the strings for converting the DC electricity fed from the pluralityof solar electric roof tile to AC electricity; f. connecting a heatexchanger to the thermal tubing for extracting the thermal energy; g.connecting a pump between the thermal tubing and the heat exchanger forcirculating the liquid running through the thermal tubing; and h.connecting a separate photovoltaic module and a cold water supplyoperatively connected to said pump for an independent working of thethermal systems.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the plurality ofsolar roof tiles is a building integrated photovoltaic roof tile with asolar module glued to an eternit tile.
 11. The method of claim 9 whereinthe plurality of solar roof tiles generates DC electricity as the solarenergy hits a surface of the plurality of solar roof tiles.
 12. Themethod of claim 9 wherein the inverter converts the DC electricity to ACelectricity and feeds to a utility grid.
 13. The method of claim 9wherein the plurality of metal battens collects the solar energy andconverts into thermal energy through running the liquid in the thermaltubing throughout the roof.
 14. The method of claim 13 wherein thethermal energy is extracted to the heat exchanger resulting in heatingup the domestic water supply and providing domestic hot water.
 15. Themethod of claim 14 wherein as the thermal energy is extracted to theheat exchanger, the plurality of solar electric roof tiles is cooledthereby making the plurality of solar electric roof tiles operate athigh efficiency in converting the solar energy to DC electricity.